Every energy-using appliance has two price tags.We know the first - the purchase price . The second price tag is considered less in the purchasing decision,but is just as real;it is the operating cost of the appliance.The purchase price is like a down payment.You can think of the second price- the cost of energy as a series of monthly payments that last as long as the appliance operates.

For example,consider an electric storage water heater that costs approximately $700 to purchase and install. If electricity costs 10 cents per kilowatt-hour(kWh)and your family uses 225 litres(L)(59 gallons{{gal.}}) of hot water per day over a 10-year period,your energy costs in that period will be approximately seven times the cost of the equipment.

In 2000, the Walkerton disaster had sent a wake-up call about the safety of Canada’s drinking water. While standards for domestic hot water must consider scald prevention, they must also address the broad spectrum of public health and safety issues. To minimize bacteria contamination, water must be stored at 60 C or higher.

For example, temperatures under 50 C may increase the risk of Legionnaires’ disease, a form of pneumonia, due to bacterial growth in the tank. That disease is caused by Legionella bacteria, which live in water. Temperature is a critical factor for Legionella to grow. The risk of colonization in hot water tanks is significant between 40 and 50 C.

Natural gas, electricity, wood, heating oil and propane were the sources of energy being used. Within a household, these forms of energy were used for a variety of activities. Because of Canada’s cold climate, 63 percent of Canada’s residential energy use was for space heating in 2009, while water heating accounted for 17 percent. Appliances were also major energy users in Canadian dwellings, followed by lighting and space cooling.